Why Did Israel And Hamas Go To War?

Why Was There War In Gaza? -- Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post

Why was there an Israel-Gaza war in the first place? Resistance to the occupation, say Hamas and many in the international media.

What occupation? Seven years ago, in front of the world, Israel pulled out of Gaza. It dismantled every settlement, withdrew every soldier, evacuated every Jew, leaving nothing and no one behind. Except for the greenhouses in which the settlers had grown fruit and flowers for export. These were left intact to help Gaza’s economy — only to be trashed when the Palestinians took over.

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My Comment: Charles Krauthammer is unfortunately correct .... this "truce" is only a ceasefire to the next war .... which will happen. My prediction .... the next conflict will happen within 4 years .... probably before the next US Presidential election. And what will happen will be the same as the last one .... rocket attacks and Israeli retaliation.

Why Israel And Hamas Are Going To War

For Both Hamas And Israel, There Are Reasons To Escalate -- Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor

For Hamas, a fear that capitulation will hurt their standing more than defiance. For Israel, it's a question of making good on public threats.

Israel and Palestinian militants in the besieged Gaza Strip are veering dangerously close to getting locked into a cycle of retaliation and revenge that could run for weeks.

Though many are wondering why both sides don't simply stand down now to avoid further loss of innocent life (since, after all, it's fairly clear that a major shift in the status quo will be the outcome of the bombardments that are now in their third day), the grim logic of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is convincing men on both sides that more death is what's needed now to secure their own interests.

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My Comment: For Hamas, this is the first time in over two years that the world's attention is on them and not on the Arab Spring, Libyan civil war, Egyptian and Tunisian revolution, and the ongoing civil war in Syria. As for Israel .... over 750 rockets have been fired from Gaza into Israel this year .... the question is not why are the responding, but what took them so long.

Why Israel Can’t Make Peace With Hamas -- Commentary

Senior Hamas leader Nizar Rayyan, center, inspects Hamas militants as they participate in a training exercise in the northern Gaza Strip in this September 15, 2007 file picture. Photo from The San Francisco Sentinel

From The New York Times:

IN the summer of 2006, at a moment when Hezbollah rockets were falling virtually without pause on northern Israel, Nizar Rayyan, husband of four, father of 12, scholar of Islam and unblushing executioner, confessed to me one of his frustrations.

We were meeting in a concrete mosque in the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza. Mr. Rayyan, who was a member of the Hamas ruling elite, and an important recruiter of suicide bombers until Israel killed him two weeks ago (along with several of his wives and children), arrived late to our meeting from parts unknown.

He was watchful for assassins even then, and when I asked him to describe his typical day, he suggested that I might be a spy for Fatah. Not the Mossad, mind you, not the C.I.A., but Fatah.

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My Comment: This is a fascinating article .... a must read for all.

Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh: My Message To The West

Ismail Haniyeh, the Palestinian Prime Minister, speaking on Al-Aqsa TV in Gaza earlier this week.
AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Ismail Haniyeh: My Message To The West
– Israel Must Stop The Slaughter

I write this article to Western readers across the social and political spectrum as the Israeli war machine continues to massacre my people in Gaza. To date, almost 1,000 have been killed, nearly half of whom are women and children. Last week's bombing of the UNRWA (UN Relief Works Agency) school in the Jabalya refugee camp was one of the most despicable crimes imaginable, as hundreds of civilians had abandoned their homes and sought refuge with the international agency only to be mercilessly shelled and bombed by Israel. Forty-six children and women were killed in that heinous attack while scores were injured.

Evidently, Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 did not end its occupation nor, as a result, its international obligations as an occupying power. It continued to control and dominate our borders by land, sea and air. Indeed the UN has confirmed that between 2005 and 2008, the Israeli army killed nearly 1,250 Palestinians in Gaza, including 222 children. For most of that period the border crossings have remained effectively closed, with only limited quantities of food, industrial fuel, animal feed and a few other essential items, allowed in.

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World Citizen: Hamas Disappoints its Backers -- A Commentary

(Image from the BBC)

From World Politics Review:

The war between Israel and Hamas has sparked much hand-wringing, disagreement, and controversy. One aspect of the conflict, however, now appears beyond dispute: After almost three weeks of fighting in the Gaza Strip, Hamas militias have proven astonishingly unimpressive on the battleground.

For Hamas' allies and backers in places like Tehran and Damascus, and among like-minded militants such as Hezbollah, it's difficult to imagine anything but disappointment at the performance of the Palestinian Islamist force that had so thoroughly routed Fatah, its Palestinian rivals, only 18 months ago.

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Hamas Doesn't Want A Palestinian State -- A Commentary

The No-State Solution -- Wall Street Journal

Hamas cares more about Shariah than 'Palestine.'

Of all the errors in the West's understanding of Hamas, none is more fundamental than the routine characterization of the group as a Palestinian movement. It is nothing of the sort.

This isn't to say that the Islamic Resistance Movement -- to use Hamas's proper name -- isn't led by Palestinians, or that it's unpopular among them. On the contrary: Even before the current fighting, Hamas was almost certainly more popular than its secular rival Fatah throughout the Palestinian Authority, including the West Bank. The only difference with Gaza is that Israel remains a presence on the West Bank, able to prevent Hamas from gaining sufficient strength to rout Fatah in an armed contest.

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Ending the West's Proxy War Against Israel -- A Commentary

An Israeli tank moves across the border with the northern
Gaza Strip January 11, 2009. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)

From The Wall Street Journal:

Stop funding a Palestinian youth bulge, and the fighting will stop too.

As the world decries Israel's attempt to defend itself from the rocket attacks coming from Gaza, consider this: When Hamas routed Fatah in Gaza in 2007, it cost nearly 350 lives and 1,000 wounded. Fatah's surrender brought only a temporary stop to the type of violence and bloodshed that are commonly seen in lands where at least 30% of the male population is in the 15-to-29 age bracket.

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'What If' Questions Of Gaza War -- A Commentary

(Photo from the BBC)

From The Boston.com:

AS THE CRIMINAL march of Hamas rocket fire continues across the territory of Israel, the rockets' red glare casts a new light on Israel's and the world's dangerous nuclear complacency. Rockets have fallen, to the north of Gaza, within about 20 miles of Tel Aviv. But even more threatening, they have fallen, to the east, within about 20 miles of Dimona, Israel's ultra-secret nuclear facility in the Negev desert. Although Israel neither confirms nor denies its possession of a nuclear arsenal, it is clear that, since the 1960s, a plutonium production reactor has been operating at Dimona, and is believed to have created enough material for up to 200 nuclear weapons, which have been manufactured in an adjacent underground facility. What would happen if Hamas rockets rained down on such a place?

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How The U.N. Supports Hamas -- A Commentary

Gaza Bedfellows UNRWA And Hamas -- Forbes

Once upon a time, terrorists had to hide from the forces of the free world and filch their living on the sly. That's changing, thanks to long-running efforts by the United Nations, bankrolled most prominently by the U.S.

In the current violence of Gaza, we are seeing the fruition of one of the most bizarre creations of modern diplomacy: a UN-supported welfare enclave for terrorists.

Behind this lies a straightforward equation. Gaza, with its 1.5 million people, runs almost entirely on international handouts. The UN ranks it among the top per-capita aid recipients on the planet.

And following the Israeli withdrawal in 2005, the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hamas began consolidating power in Gaza--first via elections in 2006, then via a bloody battle in June 2007, in which Hamas drove out the rival Palestinian group Fatah and seized all power in the enclave.

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My Comment: The U.N. has a history of not being open nor accountable with the money that has been entrusted to it. UNRWA appears to be another example of this lack of accountability.

The Day After: With Hamas Under Siege, Secular Fatah Mulls Its Next Move. -- A Commentary

Smoke rises after an Israeli air strike in Gaza January 8, 2009.
(Suhaib Salem/Reuters)

From Newsweek:

As Hamas fighters dig in against advancing Israeli troops in Gaza, the Islamists' security services are quietly working to prevent any uprising by forces loyal to moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Tens of thousands of security personnel belonging to Abbas's Fatah party still operate in the Gaza Strip, even after Hamas seized control of the strip in June 2007. The Fatah men collect their salaries, gather intelligence and occasionally organize protests in order tomaintain pressure onthe Islamists. While Abbas has condemned the Israeli assault as a "massacre," he has also accused Hamas of breaking its ceasefire with Israel by firing rockets across the Gaza border.

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Reuters: In The Service Of Hamas -- A Commentary

From Pajamas Media:

A series of captioned photos from Reuters over the past few days in the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip proves that the news organization employs editors that are either as politically biased or as technically incompetent as those they fired after Reuters photographer Adnan Hajj was exposed for Photoshopping images during the 2006 Israeli conflict with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

At least four Reuters photos released over the weekend purported to show Israeli aircraft deploying weapons against Hamas targets, when the photos clearly show that the helicopters and fighter aircraft were actually dropping flares to thwart possible surface-to-air missile attacks.

Actual scene: F-16 fighter, single flare

Reuters caption: “An Israeli F-16 fighter jet flies over the northern Gaza Strip after deploying a weapons system January 3, 2009. Israeli forces bombed the Gaza Strip from the air and sea on Saturday, and desperate residents of the Palestinian enclave sheltered in their homes as the offensive entered a second week.”

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In Gaza, The Real Enemy Is Iran -- A Commentary

A shell fired by Israeli forces explodes over the northern
Gaza Strip January 4, 2009. (Baz Ratner/Reuters)

From L.A. Times:

Reporting from Jerusalem -- The images from the fighting in Gaza are harrowing but ultimately deceptive. They portray a mighty invading army, one equipped with F-16 jets that have bombed a civilian population defended by a few thousand fighters armed with primitive rockets. But widen the lens and the true nature of this conflict emerges. Hamas, like Hezbollah in Lebanon, is a proxy for the real enemy Israel is confronting: Iran. And Israel's current operation against Hamas represents a unique chance to deal a strategic blow to Iranian expansionism.

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Pondering the Strategic Objectives of Hamas -- A Commentary

Israeli soldiers stand near armoured military vehicles just outside the northern Gaza Strip December 30, 2008. (Baz Ratner/Reuters)

From Information Dissemination:

With the revelations made in this Haaretz article that Israel has been planning for the current conflict for several months, the implication is that the pre-cease fire condition between Hamas and Israel was never an accepted long term condition from the perspective of Israel. The implications of the revelations made in the article are numerous, and interesting from an observers perspective.

We learn that through extended intelligence efforts, lessons learned fighting Hezbollah two years ago, and a disinformation campaign Israel has capitalized on Hamas's decision to break the cease fire agreement by inflecting serious damage through its air campaign against Hamas targets. The high death toll and large number of wounded are expected results. While there are several ways to look at the high number of civilian deaths, I tend to treat these as a trend to be expected set by the conditions these conflicts are now fought under.

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My Comment: A well written and thoughtful analysis. A must read.

Israel Hamas War: A Head-Scratching Time Out? -- A Commentary

From In From The Cold:

That's how Jerusalem Post columnist David Horovitz described a potential cease-fire between the IDF and Hamas. According to various media and diplomatic reports, Israel is considering a 48-hour suspension of its attacks against the terror group--and possibly, a longer pause--if Hamas agrees to stop its rocket attacks against southern Israeli towns.

The cease-fire would come as Israeli forces are inflicting severe damage on the terrorist organization, its leadership, and key infrastructure targets. As Horovitz writes, the idea of a cease-fire at this juncture is simply mind-boggling:

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Obama Fiddles While Gaza Burns -- A Commentary

From The Nation:

Thanks to Hamas' stupid, provocative, and self-defeating rocket assault on, well, nothing, in Israel, the Middle East that Barack Obama will inherit from George W. Bush just got a lot more complicated. And, sadly, Obama seems content to fiddle while Gaza burns.

Yesterday Obama got an official US intelligence briefing on the crisis in Gaza, which may or may not have numbed his brain with data he didn't need. Obama didn't need an intelligence briefing to tell him anything he really needs to know: that, once again, the twin poles of Israeli and Palestinian extremism have flared up in a way that will only undermine, perhaps fatally, the chances of a negotiated accord during Obama's first term in office.

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The Battle of Gaza and The Real War -- A Commentary

From Pajamas Media:

It was only a matter of time before Israel lashed out at Hamas in Gaza. Even the appeasers in Israel, of whom there are many, could not indefinitely accept thousands of rockets landing in civilian centers, especially after the battle against Hezbollah in 2006, which was widely viewed as a fiasco for the Israeli Army and for the leaders in Jerusalem who are facing an election in two months. Defense Minister Barak says it’s “all-out war,” which suggests ground operations. The usual rule in these cases is that Israel doesn’t have much time to accomplish its objectives; the “international community” rallies to the side of Israel’s enemies, and Israel’s leaders invariably convince themselves that if they play ball, they’ll be rewarded for it. But that never happens. So far the Brits and the Vatican have already demanded an end to operations against Hamas, and by the time I finish typing this there will be more.

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Managing Gaza -- A Commentary

From The Terror Wonk:

Israel’s operation in Gaza is reaching a critical point. While talking heads will debate grand strategy, the options are limited. Behind the headlines is the crucial issue of how Israel’s national security process works (or doesn’t – in light of the weaknesses revealed in the 2006 Lebanon war). The next moves will demonstrate whether or not Israel has successfully incorporated the lessons from the failures of the 2006 Lebanon War. This is crucial to re-establishing Israeli deterrence.

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As Violence In Gaza Worsens, What Can Obama Do?

From NPR:

Talk of the Nation, December 29, 2008 · A Bush administration spokesman has called on Hamas — the Islamist organization that controls the Gaza Strip — to stop firing rockets into Israel and "agree to respect a sustainable and durable ceasefire." Is there anything President-elect Obama can do to change the dynamic in the region?

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The Short War -- A Commentary

From The New Republic:

Why Israel wants the war in Gaza to be brief.

The comparisons are as banal as they are unavoidable. Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, began his term with a boom--a war in Lebanon in 2006--and is now leaving with a bang--the 2008 war in Gaza. Today, however, Olmert is more experienced, more somber, less cocky. He now plays the role of the responsible adult. The goals he set for the war are limited: "The operation is meant to improve the security reality of southern residents in a thorough manner," he said yesterday. Not even "security"--just the very modest "improve" in the security.

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Hamas' Strategy of Escalation -- A Commentary

From Der Spiegel:

The Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip entered its third day on Monday with over 300 Palestinians now dead. The Arab world is up in arms, and with Palestinians as fragmented as ever, the dream of an independent country seems no closer today than it did decades ago.

The anger quickly came to a boil on Saturday. Thousands of Israelis, both Jews and Arabs, were in Jaffa for an annual street festival. "The Arab peddlers were so busy that it took awhile for the news from Gaza to spread," Sami Abu Shadeh, a member of the center-left, Arab-Israeli Balad party, recalled on Sunday. It was noon before he found a television. "By then," he says, "there were already 120 dead."

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